Sustainable Dairy Production Advisor
Headquarters: Glenn County
Counties to be served: Glenn, Tehama, Butte, Shasta Sutter- Yuba with limited service to Marin and Sonoma
Position Specialization: Sustainable Dairy Systems with a specialization in irrigated runoff and agricultural ground water pollution
Position Description: The Advisor would work with dairy producers in the Sacramento Valley with limited service to Marin and Sonoma Counties. Service to Marin and Sonoma Counties could include newsletters, phone and internet contact, an annual producer meeting and occasional travel to the area. Expertise in irrigated runoff and agricultural ground water pollution would be developed. Potentially a portion of this position could be devoted to County Director responsibilities.
A minimum of a Masters degree in Dairy/Animal Science, Agriculture Ecology or related field is required. An understanding of production practices, animal and field research and statistical design is essential. Competence in standard computer applications is required and knowledge of advanced communication technologies is desirable. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are necessary.
Justification: Dairy production in California leads the nation and continues to be the number one agricultural commodity in California. The Dairy industry is important to the agricultural economies of the Sacramento Valley and the north coast counties of Marin and Sonoma. Glenn County dairy production was more than $42 million in 2011 and Tehama County producers added $12 million to the local economy. Sutter County is home to more than 3,000 dairy cows and Butte County is home to a handful of small scale dairies including the CSU Chico organic herd. Dairy production systems in the area include both confinement and pasture-based dairies. Sonoma County ranks 11th in the state in dairy production and has 66 dairies. Marin County ranks 15th in the state and has 24 dairies.
There are currently no UC Dairy Advisors north of San Joaquin County. The dairy industry in the north state is dealing with the same economic and regulatory issues faced by larger producers in the San Joaquin Valley. Environmental concerns and potential regulation related to water quality will make dairy production in Northern and Coastal California more difficult and expensive. The lack of a sufficiently sized industry in the North necessary to support a knowledgeable and well engaged consulting community magnifies the importance of a UC presence and the delivery of science based non-biased information to the clientele.
The Sacramento Valley has a mixture of mid to large sized confinement dairies and smaller pasture-based dairies similar to what can be found in Marin and Sonoma Counties. These pasture-based dairies make dairy production in these areas different than what is found in the San Joaquin and present some opportunities for niche marketing with pasture-based or organic production. The Advisor would develop an expertise in this area that would bring something to the dairy team that does not currently exist. Additionally, expertise in irrigated runoff issues and agricultural ground water pollution would add to the cooperative extension team, provide collaborative opportunities with an existing Dairy Waste Management Specialist and potentially be of value to other agricultural producers.
Relevance to the ANR Strategic Vision: The Dairy Farm Advisor would contribute to addressing the priorities outlined in the ANR Strategic Vision by supporting sustainable, safe and nutritious food production and promoting a sustainable, healthy and productive environment. Clearly, the dairy industry in California is vital to economic success in a global economy and opportunities abound for enhancing science literacy among California families and communities. By 2025, it is expected that fewer dairy farms will provide products for a rapidly expanding population. The Dairy Farm Advisor will need to provide research, education, and service to help dairy producers sustainably supply safe food with positive effects on the surrounding communities and environment.
Initiatives to be addressed: The Dairy Advisor will address the Sustainable Food Systems strategic initiative with significant overlap with Safe and Secure Food Supplies, Water Quality, Healthy Families and Communities, and California’s Agricultural Economy. Programs to ensure food safety and maintain consumer confidence and ensure animal welfare will be integral. This position would develop and disseminate production practices to serve both conventional and organic systems.
Extension: The Dairy Advisor would conduct a visible, collaborative, multifaceted extension education program related to the dairy industry in the Sacramento Valley and north coast counties of Marin and Sonoma. Environmental stewardship is emphasized. The Advisor will work collaboratively to develop and disseminate curriculum related to Environmental Stewardship, Animal Welfare, Food Safety and Security through interaction with the California Dairy Quality Assurance Program. The advisor will disseminate appropriate research results, and encourage the adoption of specific technologies and/or improved practices through newsletters, personal communications, field days, group meetings and demonstrations, publications, the internet, mass media and additional creative approaches as appropriate. There are opportunities for collaborative relationships with other dairy advisors and specialists, and with other agencies and businesses within the industry.
Research: Numerous opportunities for critical research exist, including, mass or whole nutrient balances (especially in relation to nitrogen), waste (manure) management, feeding management, fly control, and environmental quality issues (air emissions, dust, ground and surface water contamination, odors) animal welfare, pasture-based and organic production, and niche marketing. Collaborative projects, such as an ongoing organic dairy production project with CSU Chico also exist. Research results would be published in newsletters, popular press, California Agriculture, Journal of Dairy Science and the Journal of Environmental Quality.
ANR Continuum: The Dairy Advisor serves as the Cooperative Extension representative on dairy industry advisory committees, Dairy Herd Improvement Association committees, and public service groups, assuming leadership as appropriate. The Dairy Advisor conducts programs as part of a team, collaborating with other UCCE Advisors and Specialists in research and education programs. The advisor contributes as a team member or leader to one or more work groups, and participates in workgroup-sponsored projects. Collaborative relationships with other departments, colleges, and public agencies can be developed and strengthened, including cooperation with regional and state agencies such as Air and Water Quality, Fish and Game, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and local planning commissions. This Advisor would help deliver programs developed by the Dairy group to clientele in the north. CE specialist and faculty with which this position would collaborate include Deanne Meyer, animal systems waste management, Carolyn Stull, animal welfare, Frank Mitloehner, livestock system air quality, Rob Atwill, water borne zoonotic diseases and microbial food safety, Bees Butler, dairy production marketing, and Peter Robinson, dairy nutrition. Cindy Daley, Professor of Animal Science at CSU Chico working in sustainable livestock production, is heading an organic dairy production project is interested in collaborating with this position.
Support: Glenn County has generous office space, clerical support, office supplies, telephone/internet-access and other support services for this position. It may be necessary for counties receiving services help with travel expenses related to servicing those counties. The Glenn County Board of Supervisors (BOS) has a long history of supporting CE programs in the county. A memorandum of understanding was signed in 2007 between UCCE Glenn County and Glenn County BOS which indicated their intent to provide increased support for UCCE to support new positions placed in the county. Glenn County has the longest ongoing clientele solicitation program in the state, which has resulted in excess of $25,000 for Glenn County programming in each of the last four years. This program will provide modest “start-up” and ongoing support monies.
Other Support: This position is has been identified by the Dairy Health and Production Workgroup and the Dairy Quality Assurance workgroup as a high priority Farm Advisor position. The position is supported by CDQAP, Western United Dairymen, and the Community Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship. There are significant opportunities for the advisor to compete for internal and external funding, particularly in the area of water quality, sustainable dairy production and niche marketing. Possible sources of funding include USDA funding through the NRCS, California Dairy Quality Assurance Program (CDQAP), California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) and the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Location: The Sacramento Valley dairy industry is positioned for growth when the economics of the dairy industry improve. It is expected that large producers will relocate out of Southern California which is more restrictive and costly. The Glenn County General Plan has a dairy element which facilitates the orderly growth of this industry. The position is to be housed in Glenn County where the bulk of the Sacramento Valley industry is located. The Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) provides coverage to Glenn, Tehama and Butte Counties. The Glenn County Office is within an hour and half drive to the UC Davis campus.
During the 1990’s there were five academic Advisors housed in Glenn County. The agricultural industry has expanded dramatically but, at the end of June 2012 there will be one remaining academic advisor with a projected retirement in 1.5 years. Glenn County has a long history of supporting Cooperative Extension and has maintained a status quo budget for Cooperative extension during recent difficult budget times when all other county department budgets have been reduced. It is critical that we begin to rebuild UCCE capacity in this area while the support still exists.